«He answered and said, Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see’ » (John 9:25).
When I was little there was a cartoon series called «Stories of the New Testament.» One of my favorite stories, which really stood out for me because of the well-done facial expressions of the main character and the beautiful oboe music in the background, was the encounter between Jesus and the man who was born blind.
When they saw the man, instead of asking how they could help him they asked who had sinned, him or his parents.
This line of thought was quickly put to a stop by Jesus’s intervention. He came to dispel this and other mistaken beliefs and to teach the truth. (The whole chapter of John 9 shows the back-and-forth of a dialog based on beliefs but not on Truth.)
The blind man was a victim of people with profound dilemmas, who saw in him the perfect bait to comer Jesus and trip Him up.
But there was something else that was more important to teach.
Jesus did His part by healing him. The blind man did his part by obeying Jesus. Later they met again, the blind man now with perfect vision, and there his faith was sealed.
«Do you believe in the Son of Man?» Jesus asked him. And the man responded, «I believe, Lord.»
«In the work of redemption there is no compulsion. No external force is employed. Under the influence of the Spirit of God, man is left free to choose whom he will serve. In the change that takes place when the soul surrenders to Christ, there is the highest sense of freedom” (The Desire of Ages, ch. 51, p. 466).
In the cartoon movie, the song the blind man sang said, «When I found You, what you did for Me I will thank you for; because of You, after so much suffering my eyes can see. And when I see You I will touch those hands that cured me with such love. I see You I will testify that You are the Son of God. You came down from the heavens to me, my Savior. You are the King, Messiah, and Lord, and yet you offered to be my Friend. Oh Jesus, where are You? I thank You for all You have done for me.”
This prayer is just one that the script writer imagined, but it could very well have been the blind man ‘s prayer, and it can be ours, too.
May we say with the blind man today, «All I know is that I was blind but now I see.. .and now I am free; truly free and free in the Truth. «
